Tell her she'll go to sea and fight pirates
by comealongis
Summary: AU!Jily. Lily Evans was completely happy with her life, or at least, she should be. James Potter, on the other hand, shouldn't be completely happy with his life, but was. She was a lady. He was a pirate. One had too little adventure in her life, and the other had too much. Both of them longed for more, but they never knew it could come in the form of a person.


Next week was a big, big week for the Evans family. Of course, it was an even bigger week for Lily, but no one seemed to believe that she was the center of attention. It would be her wedding day, very soon. After all, she was already 18, and it was time to be wed. Her sister was already wed, and with child, and Lily should soon follow. After all, the only richness daughters could give to her families these days was to marry a good and rich man. It was her duty, and duty in the Evans household was something _very _important.

Lily was ginger. The ultimate ginger, with freckles on her cheeks and even on her shoulders. It was impossible not to find her bright green eyes extremely appealing, and her smile always made whoever was seeing it smile back. Despise being ginger, there was another thing noticeable on Lily. She loved her freedom. Of course, she was dutiful, but whenever it meddled with her freedom, she would back down. She loved to feel the wind on her hair when she rode, she loved how it felt good to breathe without a corset, she loved how the sand felt against her bare feet. And she longed for adventures. Great, big adventures, like the ones she read on her books. It didn't seem possible that she was going to get any big adventure, except, perhaps, give birth to a child. She knew that the marriage to Mr. Gallagher would meddle with her freedom, so she didn't feel extremely happy about the decision.

She was brushing her long curls, when she heard a noise. But then again, she heard a thousand noises during the night. The city never completely sleep, and even if it did, the nature wouldn't. So she didn't mind, thinking it was just some drunk people yelling. It was probably just it. Men and women often tried to drink their pain away, but men were allowed to scream it to everyone to hear, while women needed to keep quiet, as the good wives they were. That made her stomach twist with disgust, because she knew that those men were no better than her. No better than any woman at all. To express those feelings out loud, however, always caused arguments and fights with her father.

Until she heard the noise again. Louder this time, and it didn't stop. Screams, and cries of pure terror. Something was off, and she knew it. Lily dropped her comb on her desk and raised from her chair, crossing her room quickly. It was late at night, but not too late, so the streets were still illuminated. She stood behind her curtain, her hand almost touching it but not quite, hesitating. Finally, she grasped it and pulled to the side, only half her face being visible to whoever raised their eyes to the third window on the second floor of the Evans house. Her eyes were wide with terror. Her town, her _home_ was being attacked. _Scum_, was the first thought that crossed her mind. It didn't take her more than half a minute to understand what was properly happening. They were pirates, desperate for gold and power, sailing through the seas in search of new cities to destroy and steal. They were thieves, they were rapists, and they were murderers.

Lily stepped away from the window, releasing the curtain, the fear taking control of her brain. She was a brave girl, yes, but even brave people know what they should fear, and pirates were on top of the list. She kneeled, putting her hands together in praying position, and started whispering. Until she heard a loud bang. And laughter. Her prayer stopped almost immediately, while she heard the footsteps of a group of three, perhaps four men on the stairs. She looked around, searching for a good hiding place. The closet was just too obvious, and she wasn't sure she would fit between all her dresses. _Think, Lily, think_. She told herself, looking around as the panic began to boil up inside of her. They were closer. She could feel their hands touching her, grabbing her, and she was able to snap out and move. There was only one place possible, and she hoped they wouldn't find her. The bed was tall enough to fit her, and she crawled in its direction, rolling under it and staring into the sides of it. She could see only a few inches of the floor, the rest covered by her blankets. A curse crossed her mind as she realized that she didn't blow out the candle, but she kept still. Holding her breath, and closing her eyes, trying to calm her own heartbeat, who banged so fast she thought it would jump out. They would hear it, she was certain of it. She had to calm down.

First, it was the sound of the door. Then the footsteps inside her bedroom. The voices were soon followed. She could almost hear the drunkenness.

"James, what the hell are we doing here?" Someone asked. His voice was husky, low. She looked beside her, and could see a pair of boots, and the start of another one. Moving her eyes to the left, she could see another two. Four men. Four _pirates_, she thought better, because she wasn't sure she could consider those specimens true men.

"I told you." Said another someone, James, most likely. One of the pairs started walking. "I saw someone through the window."

"So you got a little crush, that's it?" Another one asked, his accent different from the others. This one sounded like the men she met in parties, not like the boys who played in the streets. "That's why we're here? Because you found a girl who you think it's pretty?"

"Shut up, Sirius." Said the one she called James.

"She's rich, didn't you hear?" A new voice, this time. The owner sat on the bed, and his feet disappeared, making her believe he was shorter than the others. "We could bring her to the ship. Ask for her father to pay something." She tried to keep it in. She did. But the gasp escaped from her mouth without her permission.

"See? Peter get-…" She could almost see him, James, even though she didn't know what he looked like, to stop and stare around. "Did you hear this?"

"Find her." Said the first voice, the one that she couldn't put a name to it yet. She heard the shuffle of curtains, the opening of doors. At last, someone raised the blanket. Maybe it was Sirius, or James, or Peter, the one who sat down on the mattress for only a few seconds, the one that made her gasp. His face was thin, as if he didn't properly starve, but he didn't have much food either. His eyes were like gold, and they had a spark in defiance on them. And the hair. The hair was… A mess. A complete, total – black – mess.

"Hello, sweetheart." He said, a smirk appearing on his face. A smirk who sent chills down Lily's spine, and she immediately started praying inside her mind. "I'm Potter. But you can call me James."

And she tried, over and over, to hate him. She tried with all of her strength, which, different from what people thought, was as big as the ocean. Maybe she did hate him, in the first months, but slowly, it came to pass that she hoped that it was him to bring her some food, and not Sirius. That she laughed more with him that she ever laughed with the lords in her town. James was a pirate, and she was his prisoner, yes. However, somehow, she felt freer than ever before. Evans always did long for adventure. She just never excepted it to come in the shape of a person.


End file.
